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Managing intertemporal price risk in the long term is essential to make investments in renewable power generation bankable. When the derivative markets don't delivery enough price hedging products nor market liquidity, many rely on bilateral hedging by means of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). With the fast pace of change in power system fundamentals that Europe is now facing, effective PPA markets can play a key role in enabling a smoother transition to renewables. This paper aims to describe the price discovery process in bilateral hedging in the Nordic PPA markets, as well as their most important terms and conditions to understand how the markets can respond to challenges in the changing business environment. The paper finds that there is a need for stronger price references and more transparent price discovery processes in PPA markets, e.g. by means of standardized and more short-term contracts to reduce transaction costs and improve market access., QC 20230613

Insulation is an essential part of power transformers, which guarantees an efficient and reliable operational life. It mainly consists of mineral oil and insulation paper. Most of the major failures of power transformers originate from internal insulation failures. Monitoring aging and thermal behaviour of the transformer’s insulation paper is achieved by different techniques, which consider the Degree of Polymerization (DP) to evaluate the cellulose degradation and other chemical factors accumulated in mineral oil. Given the physical and chemical nature of the problem of degradation, we couple it with machine learning models to predict the desired parameters for considered equations. In particular, the equation used applies the Arrhenius relation, which comprises parameters like the pre-exponential factor, which depends on the cellulose’s contamination content, and the activation energy, which is connected to the temperature dependence; both of the factors need to be estimated for our problem. For this reason, Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) are considered for solving the data-driven discovery of the DP equation., QC 20230411

In this paper, we take an interest in emergent masculinities in contemporary academic workplaces and the consequences of new forms of homosocial cultures. We employ the theoretical notion of Masculine Contest Cultures (MCC) (cf Berdahl et al, 2018) in order to link constructions of masculinity to the heterosocial behaviour of women as well as their consequences for workplace cultures. This is studied in two Swedish business schools currently undergoing changes in their workplace cultures related to an increased emphasis on managerial control, performance measurement and internal as well as external competition. The two cases are discussed in terms of harmonic and competitive homosociality, and homogenous and fragmented heterosociality. We (tentatively) suggest that neoliberalisation of Academia tend to disrupt cultural contexts in which traditional hegemonic masculinities are upheld through a combination of harmonic homosociality and homogenous heterosociality. This happens in several ways; (1) through the atomization of homosocial community induced by performance management regimes emphasizing status as individually assessed and transitory, (2) through an organisational managerialisation shifting professional leeway from senior male professors to a more junior and gender-equal cadre of 1 managers, (3) through women becoming more fragmented in their views on their heterosocial roles and on their responsibility for upholding workplace relationalities. The ensuing emergent masculinities tend to center around competition and comparison, and on new and subtler ways of performing manhood acts in pursuit of power and status., QC 20230807

The aim of this paper is to analyse contemporary transitions in the aviation industry in Sweden. We take a durational perspective to consider narratives as coordinating mechanism in sustainability transitions. We find that industry actors are constructing narratives for alternative aircraft fuels and technologies as they seek to maintain aviation's societal function whilst mitigating its climate impact. By reconciling memories of the past with their expectations for the future, narratives act to coordinate actors’ transition activities in the present. In this way, narrative are more than an initiator of transitions, but constitute paths in-the-making, highlighting the agency of actors in enacting change in the present and shaping sustainability transitions of the future., QC 20231124

The aim of this paper is to analyse contemporary transitions in the aviation industry in Sweden. We take a durational perspective to consider narratives as coordinating mechanism in sustainability transitions. We find that industry actors are constructing narratives for alternative aircraft fuels and technologies as they seek to maintain aviation's societal function whilst mitigating its climate impact. By reconciling memories of the past with their expectations for the future, narratives act to coordinate actors’ transition activities in the present. In this way, narrative are more than an initiator of transitions, but constitute paths in-the-making, highlighting the agency of actors in enacting change in the present and shaping sustainability transitions of the future., QC 20231124

This paper provides an exploratory understanding of the process of knowledge-work in the inter-organisational setting of a large-scale infrastructure project. Taking a process perspective, it explores why an autonomous project-owner organisation in the rail industry sector finds difficulties to transform and exploit the project network-related knowledge in a coopetitive context. The paper builds on a case study of a High-speed Rail Line (HSL) project in Spain. Based on the longitudinal qualitative secondary analysis, the authors put forth a contingency framework that proposes four contexts linking the transformation and exploitation of the knowledge from the inter-organisational network to the project-owner organisation; whether (i) the interplay between industrial setting and the project arrangement empowers product or process knowledge and (ii) the senior, and programme management awareness to feed-forward learning relies on individual- or institutionalised-based learning. These four contexts and their underlying conditions pose different knowledge-work related problems and suggest implications for practice in inter-organisational collaboration and beyond., QC 20220125

Supply network collaboration has been recognised as a vital enabler in the transition to a circular economy. Even so, the existing literature has directed limited attention to the nature of these relationships and the motivation behind them. Hence, there is a need to understand the actual activities of actors engaged in collaboration to address this knowledge gap. The steel industry presents an interesting example. Given that more than one-third of the world's steel production originates from scrap, its supply is essential to the survival of the steel industry. Based on an explorative case study, this paper investigates collaboration of steel producers, a procurement intermediary and scrap dealers to facilitate steel recycling. These actors deal with the practical challenge of variation in the quantity and quality of steel scrap by engaging in various types of collaboration. This paper seeks to analyse the nature of these collaborations and answer the question of why actors engage in supply network collaboration. The paper identifies a complex web of relationships and outlines differing motives for and against collaboration, with specific focus on three types. While quality control is the main motive in dyadic vertical collaboration between a buyer and a supplier, efficiency is the main motive for both horizontal collaboration between buyers and lateral collaboration amongst all actors in the supply network. Thus, this paper adds to the conventional wisdom of sequential, dyadic, linear and vertical relationships, providing a deeper understanding of the types of supply network collaboration from the underexplored context of steel recycling., QC 20220228

This paper provides an exploratory understanding of the process of knowledge-work in the inter-organisational setting of a large-scale infrastructure project. Taking a process perspective, it explores why an autonomous project-owner organisation in the rail industry sector finds difficulties to transform and exploit the project network-related knowledge in a coopetitive context. The paper builds on a case study of a High-speed Rail Line (HSL) project in Spain. Based on the longitudinal qualitative secondary analysis, the authors put forth a contingency framework that proposes four contexts linking the transformation and exploitation of the knowledge from the inter-organisational network to the project-owner organisation; whether (i) the interplay between industrial setting and the project arrangement empowers product or process knowledge and (ii) the senior, and programme management awareness to feed-forward learning relies on individual- or institutionalised-based learning. These four contexts and their underlying conditions pose different knowledge-work related problems and suggest implications for practice in inter-organisational collaboration and beyond., QC 20220125

Supply network collaboration has been recognised as a vital enabler in the transition to a circular economy. Even so, the existing literature has directed limited attention to the nature of these relationships and the motivation behind them. Hence, there is a need to understand the actual activities of actors engaged in collaboration to address this knowledge gap. The steel industry presents an interesting example. Given that more than one-third of the world's steel production originates from scrap, its supply is essential to the survival of the steel industry. Based on an explorative case study, this paper investigates collaboration of steel producers, a procurement intermediary and scrap dealers to facilitate steel recycling. These actors deal with the practical challenge of variation in the quantity and quality of steel scrap by engaging in various types of collaboration. This paper seeks to analyse the nature of these collaborations and answer the question of why actors engage in supply network collaboration. The paper identifies a complex web of relationships and outlines differing motives for and against collaboration, with specific focus on three types. While quality control is the main motive in dyadic vertical collaboration between a buyer and a supplier, efficiency is the main motive for both horizontal collaboration between buyers and lateral collaboration amongst all actors in the supply network. Thus, this paper adds to the conventional wisdom of sequential, dyadic, linear and vertical relationships, providing a deeper understanding of the types of supply network collaboration from the underexplored context of steel recycling., QC 20220228

Deep decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries, such as steel production, will be required to achieve the European Union's climate targets. Green hydrogen technology has the potential to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions from iron and steelmaking to nearly zero and mitigate climate change from the industrial sector. The paper is based on an ongoing case in Sweden, where the established firms SSAB, LKAB, and Vattenfall are operating the HYBRIT joint venture. This paper aims to explore the conditions for transferring this technology from Sweden to three primary steel producing countries in Europe: Germany, France and Italy. As a theoretical point of departure, we integrate some concepts from the multi-level perspective and technology transfer theories to better understand transition pathways for hydrogen-based steel production in Europe. We use a case study methodology, including the analysis of more than 20 qualitative interviews and secondary data. The findings of the study conclude that the Swedish iron and steel industry is unique in many ways, yet other European countries are rapidly catching up in hydrogen-based steel production, particularly Germany. Sweden however remains unique in its nearly zero carbon electricity generation and low-cost electricity prices, which can enable green hydrogen production throughout the country. In order to overcome the barriers and create an enabling environment for hydrogen-based steel production, it is key that energy and industry transitions are aligned, that a policy framework that supports these transitions is in place, and that key actors representing all aspects of these transitions cooperate, from industry and research, to academia, policymakers, and civil society., QC 20211125 QC 20220303

This paper provides an exploratory understanding of the process of knowledge-work in the inter-organisational setting of a large-scale infrastructure project. Taking a process perspective, it explores why an autonomous project-owner organisation in the rail industry sector finds difficulties to transform and exploit the project network-related knowledge in a coopetitive context. The paper builds on a case study of a High-speed Rail Line (HSL) project in Spain. Based on the longitudinal qualitative secondary analysis, the authors put forth a contingency framework that proposes four contexts linking the transformation and exploitation of the knowledge from the inter-organisational network to the project-owner organisation; whether (i) the interplay between industrial setting and the project arrangement empowers product or process knowledge and (ii) the senior, and programme management awareness to feed-forward learning relies on individual- or institutionalised-based learning. These four contexts and their underlying conditions pose different knowledge-work related problems and suggest implications for practice in inter-organisational collaboration and beyond., QC 20220125

Supply network collaboration has been recognised as a vital enabler in the transition to a circular economy. Even so, the existing literature has directed limited attention to the nature of these relationships and the motivation behind them. Hence, there is a need to understand the actual activities of actors engaged in collaboration to address this knowledge gap. The steel industry presents an interesting example. Given that more than one-third of the world's steel production originates from scrap, its supply is essential to the survival of the steel industry. Based on an explorative case study, this paper investigates collaboration of steel producers, a procurement intermediary and scrap dealers to facilitate steel recycling. These actors deal with the practical challenge of variation in the quantity and quality of steel scrap by engaging in various types of collaboration. This paper seeks to analyse the nature of these collaborations and answer the question of why actors engage in supply network collaboration. The paper identifies a complex web of relationships and outlines differing motives for and against collaboration, with specific focus on three types. While quality control is the main motive in dyadic vertical collaboration between a buyer and a supplier, efficiency is the main motive for both horizontal collaboration between buyers and lateral collaboration amongst all actors in the supply network. Thus, this paper adds to the conventional wisdom of sequential, dyadic, linear and vertical relationships, providing a deeper understanding of the types of supply network collaboration from the underexplored context of steel recycling., QC 20220228

Supply network collaboration has been recognised as a vital enabler in the transition to a circular economy. Even so, the existing literature has directed limited attention to the nature of these relationships and the motivation behind them. Hence, there is a need to understand the actual activities of actors engaged in collaboration to address this knowledge gap. The steel industry presents an interesting example. Given that more than one-third of the world's steel production originates from scrap, its supply is essential to the survival of the steel industry. Based on an explorative case study, this paper investigates collaboration of steel producers, a procurement intermediary and scrap dealers to facilitate steel recycling. These actors deal with the practical challenge of variation in the quantity and quality of steel scrap by engaging in various types of collaboration. This paper seeks to analyse the nature of these collaborations and answer the question of why actors engage in supply network collaboration. The paper identifies a complex web of relationships and outlines differing motives for and against collaboration, with specific focus on three types. While quality control is the main motive in dyadic vertical collaboration between a buyer and a supplier, efficiency is the main motive for both horizontal collaboration between buyers and lateral collaboration amongst all actors in the supply network. Thus, this paper adds to the conventional wisdom of sequential, dyadic, linear and vertical relationships, providing a deeper understanding of the types of supply network collaboration from the underexplored context of steel recycling., QC 20220228

This paper provides an exploratory understanding of the process of knowledge-work in the inter-organisational setting of a large-scale infrastructure project. Taking a process perspective, it explores why an autonomous project-owner organisation in the rail industry sector finds difficulties to transform and exploit the project network-related knowledge in a coopetitive context. The paper builds on a case study of a High-speed Rail Line (HSL) project in Spain. Based on the longitudinal qualitative secondary analysis, the authors put forth a contingency framework that proposes four contexts linking the transformation and exploitation of the knowledge from the inter-organisational network to the project-owner organisation; whether (i) the interplay between industrial setting and the project arrangement empowers product or process knowledge and (ii) the senior, and programme management awareness to feed-forward learning relies on individual- or institutionalised-based learning. These four contexts and their underlying conditions pose different knowledge-work related problems and suggest implications for practice in inter-organisational collaboration and beyond., QC 20220125

This paper provides an exploratory understanding of the process of knowledge-work in the inter-organisational setting of a large-scale infrastructure project. Taking a process perspective, it explores why an autonomous project-owner organisation in the rail industry sector finds difficulties to transform and exploit the project network-related knowledge in a coopetitive context. The paper builds on a case study of a High-speed Rail Line (HSL) project in Spain. Based on the longitudinal qualitative secondary analysis, the authors put forth a contingency framework that proposes four contexts linking the transformation and exploitation of the knowledge from the inter-organisational network to the project-owner organisation; whether (i) the interplay between industrial setting and the project arrangement empowers product or process knowledge and (ii) the senior, and programme management awareness to feed-forward learning relies on individual- or institutionalised-based learning. These four contexts and their underlying conditions pose different knowledge-work related problems and suggest implications for practice in inter-organisational collaboration and beyond., QC 20220125

Supply network collaboration has been recognised as a vital enabler in the transition to a circular economy. Even so, the existing literature has directed limited attention to the nature of these relationships and the motivation behind them. Hence, there is a need to understand the actual activities of actors engaged in collaboration to address this knowledge gap. The steel industry presents an interesting example. Given that more than one-third of the world's steel production originates from scrap, its supply is essential to the survival of the steel industry. Based on an explorative case study, this paper investigates collaboration of steel producers, a procurement intermediary and scrap dealers to facilitate steel recycling. These actors deal with the practical challenge of variation in the quantity and quality of steel scrap by engaging in various types of collaboration. This paper seeks to analyse the nature of these collaborations and answer the question of why actors engage in supply network collaboration. The paper identifies a complex web of relationships and outlines differing motives for and against collaboration, with specific focus on three types. While quality control is the main motive in dyadic vertical collaboration between a buyer and a supplier, efficiency is the main motive for both horizontal collaboration between buyers and lateral collaboration amongst all actors in the supply network. Thus, this paper adds to the conventional wisdom of sequential, dyadic, linear and vertical relationships, providing a deeper understanding of the types of supply network collaboration from the underexplored context of steel recycling., QC 20220228

Nearly two decades have passed since the Triple Helix (TH) framework was introduced as an important mechanism of industrial and regional development. Originating in the "New Production of Knowledge" discourse (Gibbons, 1994) but developed by Leydesdorff and Etzkowiz (1998), the underlying theme of the TH framework is that knowledge and innovation are best generated, sustained and disseminated through the interactions of industry, academia and public institutions. In terms of industrial and regional policies, the TH approach largely focuses on local/regional/national interactions with the goal of knowledge building and dissemination to counterbalance global challenges (see, e.g. Leydesdorff. & Etzkowitz, 1996; Leydesdorff, & Etzkowitz, 1998; Nuur et al, 2013). The TH framework allocates Institutions of Higher Education a primary role (Etzkowitz & Klofsten, 2005; Assbring and Nuur, 2017). From a regional development perspective, the TH framework maybe viewed as contributing to a synthesis of how innovations are generated and disseminated. It is a more prescriptive to adopt and use as a platform for channeling resources (Smith & Bagchi, 2010, Gustavsson et al, 2016) involving local industries and regional universities. Given that the dynamics can be found in the interaction between the three main actors (or families of the key players) the TH visions that the three players jointly add to innovation system (Etzkowitz, 2003). This paper focuses on the role of institutions of higher education when put in the context of regional universities. It identifies some of the challenges that regional universities face in embracing the TH framework in their strategies. Based on four case studies of regional universities in Sweden, the paper argues that the implementation of TH framework is not about a one-size fit all. Instead, it is vital that the TH approach should be framed in different ways depending on the regional context., Part of proceedings: ISBN 978-84-09-05948-5QC 20220926

Governments and civil society are increasingly aware that the decarbonization of energy systems needs to be aligned with justice principles of recognition, distribution, and process. This paper establishes a conceptual linkage between “sustainable development”, “low-carbon energy transitions” and “energy justice” and examines social priorities to address peoples' competing priorities associated with low-carbon energy interventions. By analyzing a renewable energy project in Vietnam as a case study, the paper shows that linking social priorities to energy justice provides a useful contribution for energy policy makers toward a better understanding of the multidimensional and complex aspects of low-carbon energy transitions, and how different segments of society prioritize and perceive them for the achievement of socially just energy decisions., QC 20211210

The purpose of this paper is to determine how process-level challenges can be solved in order improve scalability of fashion remanufacturing. In order to do so, and prescribe solutions, the paper first conducts a systematic literature review to reveal three categories of process-level challenges that are related to sourcing of input material, process throughput time, and skillset requirement. These categories further guided us in conducting case study with a Swedish charity-owned fashion remanufacturer for exploring how the challenges are addressed and solved in order to achieve process-level scalability. First, our study reveals a systematized approach to determine product-process categories defined by production volume and degree of remanufacturing. Second, by exploring the process-level challenges of six different remanufactured product groups in the case study organization we identify process-level requirements for scalability, and challenges when these are unmet. The findings show that in fashion remanufacturing (particularly disassembly and reassembly), low degree of coupling, high level of formalization of activities and low skill specificity can be ways to attain process-level scalability. Overall, this highlights the need to build lower interdependence between disassembly and reassembly during fashion remanufacturing., QC 20210217

The sharing economy has gained traction in several industry sectors by establishing ever-new platforms, with digital intermediation and peer-to-peer exchanges at the heart of the business model. Most research on the sharing economy concerns the phenomenon level or focuses on the operations of single platforms. This paper connects various sharing economy platforms by asking: How has the sharing economy spread to new platforms? The purpose of the paper is to explain the pattern of spread of the sharing economy business model. Findings point out a seamless, unobtrusive pattern echoing characteristics of the sharing economy business model across distant sectors to avoid competition while reproducing activities in ever-new resource settings. The paper continues the exploration of the sharing economy related to industrial marketing through moving from the individual platforms to the way they lead to new ones while acknowledging how the innovative model for new platforms is highly based on mandates created through acknowledging oneself as a role model successor. Such a spread mechanism redefines innovation newness, adaptation and diffusion, and raises new insights to understand how current business landscapes would be under the possible transition into a new logic of operations., QC 20210804

Fake news is one of the most discussed phenomena in politics, social life and the world of business. Recent literature has indicated that it can be a serious threat to brands and their management. Brands can be both victims of, and either unwitting or deliberate agents of fake news. This paper presents the results of a three-round Delphi study of a panel of brand marketing scholars in which they indicated their familiarity with ten major high-tech brands, and estimated the vulnerability of these to fake news, and how effectively these brands would deal with fake news. The levels of familiarity with the brands vary considerably, and it also appears that lower familiarity with the brand (with one notable exception) is associated with higher estimates of vulnerability, and lower estimates of the management’s ability to deal effectively with fake news. The researchers considered a large number of commercial media brand ratings with titles such as, “World’s Best Hi-tech Brands”, “100 Most Valuable Brands”, “25 Best Technology Brands” and the like. Not surprisingly all these lists are marked by their differences rather than their similarities. A handful of brands such as Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft feature in all these rankings, but behind them, there tend to be differences. For purposes of this study, the researchers then settled on and included the following ten high-tech brands: Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Amazon, IBM, Microsoft, Google, Intel, eBay, Facebook and Dell. The fake news phenomenon is unlikely to dissipate in the future, especially as social media technologies continue to make its spread so much easier. The risk to brands will be ever-present and will almost certainly increase. Hi-tech brand custodians do and will need to be vigilant of how they might be vulnerable and to have contingency plans in place for that day in the future when their brand becomes a target., QC 20220613

The study focuses on the challenging complexity of the energy industry transformation. Despite sustainability and climate concerns the exploitation of conventional oil and natural gas resources is ongoing. We investigate the case of Arctic offshore oil and natural gas resources exploitation through a set of interviews, providing two national examples of Norway and Russia. The study design and methodology are inspired by a multi-level perspective framework (MLP) to large socio-technical systems. We focus on the interaction between the landscape and regime levels of the energy industry. The MLP analysis shows that Norway and Russia act differently under the same landscape factors and adjust on the regime level according to their national goals. We conclude that the landscape level does not shape the regime level equally, which complicates the transformational processes in the energy industry. The paper contributes to the sustainability transitions literature through a rarely investigated case, and suggests theoretical implications regarding the interactions between the regime and landscape levels of MLP. The paper introduces a different analytical perspective for scholars of Arctic studies. © 2020, © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group., QC 20201130

The paper addresses the problem of quality assurance of university internationalisation by analysing the student expectations about university international services. The research aims to answer how important are university international activities for students and what are the indicators of quality of international programme from student perspective. The research is based on the quantitative survey of 207 students mainly from Nordic countries and Russia who represent both domestic and international student body. The study uses statistical item-by-item analysis. Students consider international exchange, internships abroad and interaction with students from other countries as important part of their studies. International study experiences are primarily appreciated for expanding horizons by living in another culture and improving job prospects. Reputation, international university rankings position and strong specialisation are the criteria for evaluating the quality of international programme. Student feedback on the needs for internationalisation support provides points for further development. More opportunities for international internships, intensive language courses and activities for more interaction of international and local students are the key directions for improvement of students' international experiences. The findings of this study contribute to the stream of literature analysing the quality of university internationalisation, and can be utilised in development of international study services., Part of proceedings: ISBN 978-84-09-05948-5QC 20220926

Sweden has a long tradition of process improvements, productivity increments, waste reduction in manufacturing, continuing a mode of industrialization that helped achieve prosperity. With growing urban centers, mechanization of agriculture, outsourcings by manufacturing and the public sector with subsequent acquisitions, large service firms have appeared in an ever-growing service sector. Some firms with a previously simple operation have become employers of hundreds of thousands of people in what can be described as a Nordic phenomenon in its origin when looking at the roots of the largest firms. With this development in mind, the aim of the thesis is to explore the factors that can be found in the case study of industrialization of services in Nordic based firms. Using an abductive approach and mixed methods, the theoretical focus has been on the organization, routines, and knowledge. The data used in this thesis originates from three embedded contexts ranging from power and telecom infrastructural services, facility management, and a payment service provider. Summarily, the research questions touch upon (1) tacit knowledge and its transfer; (2) technology adoption; and (3) the grander implications of technology and industrialization in services. The thesis has four main contributions. First, the first paper provides a unique empirical insight into firms that rarely see any academic attention, a domain dominated by craftmanship to some degree, and with that an environment saturated with tacit knowledge. Secondly, the results indicate that while tacit knowledge is a significant part of service firms, recent technological advancement can overcome difficulties of transferring certain somatic aspects it. Capturing tacit knowledge digitally and transforming it into rich data, turns it into a crystallized artifact that is separated from time and space. High bandwidth enables the transfer of these crystallized artifacts of rich data, to any place, at any time. Thirdly, l, I Sverige finns en lång tradition inom tillverkningsindustrin i att utveckla processer, öka produktivitet, minska spill och på sätt vidare industrialisera verksamheten, vilket delvis legat till grund för svenskt välstånd. Med växande städer, mekaniserat jordbruk, outsourcing från tillverkningsindustri och offentlig sektor och med följande företagsförvärv har stora tjänsteföretag uppstått i en ständigt växande tjänstesektor. Några företag har vuxit till att bli arbetsgivare åt hundratusentals människor världen över, i vad som kan beskrivas nordiskt fenomen sett till de allra största företagens rötter. Med detta i åtanke är avhandlingens syfte är att utforska faktorerna som ligger att finnas i en fallstudie i industrialiseringen av tjänster i nordiska företag. Med en abduktiv approach och blandade metoder, ligger det teoretiska fokuset på organisation, rutiner och kunskap. De data som används i denna avhandling har sitt ursprung från tre inbäddade kontexter bestående av ett el- och telekom-underhållsföretag, ett facility managementföretag och ett kort- och betallösningsföretag. Kortfattat berör forskningsfrågorna (1) tyst kunskap och dess överföring; (2) införskaffande av teknologi; och (3) den större innebörden av teknik och industrialisering inom tjänster. Denna avhandling har fyra huvudsakliga bidrag. För det första ger det första pappret en empirisk inblick i företag som sällan får akademisk uppmärksamhet, en domän där hantverksmässig yrkesfärdighet är en stor faktor och med det en miljö som är mättad med tyst kunskap. För det andra indikerar resultaten att även om tyst kunskap är en betydande del av tjänsteföretag, kan teknologi övervinna svårigheter i att överföra vissa somatiska aspekter av kunskapen. Att spela in tyst kunskap digitalt och omvandla det till rika data, gör det till en kristalliserad artefakt som är separerad från både rum och tid. En hög bandbredd möjliggör sedan överförandet av dessa kristalliserade artefakter till vilken plats som helst, när s

This paper is concerned with the management of multi-plant manufacturing networks. Two key concepts in this domain are plant roles and plant autonomy in the context of operations strategy decision-making. We investigate the relationship between these two concepts and their impact on plant performance. We use data from 102 manufacturing plants belonging to multi-plant networks. The results suggest a relationship between plant roles and operations strategy decision-making structures. Plants with high levels of decision-making autonomy typically have high levels of production, supply chain, and development competences, while plants with a low level of decision-making autonomy are primarily those with only production site competences. Integrated structures for operations strategy decision-making, which include both the network level and the plant level, exist for all plant types and are thus not restricted to plants with a certain set of site competences. In accounting for both the plant type and decision-making structure, we were unable to detect any significant differences between groups in terms of performance effects. Instead, it seems that the fit between plant type and decision-making structure is important and that choosing the right type of operations strategy decision-making structure moderates the performance of plants with low site competence levels., QC 20220524

The circular economy (CE) has recently gained attention as a key transformative strategy. However, as with previous transformation processes, the transition towards the CE is not a smooth process since there are underlying structural tensions in incumbent systems that need to be overcome. One industry that is currently undergoing transformative pressure is the automobile industry where the transition to electric vehicles that use lithium-ion bat- teries is creating structural tensions. In this paper, we adopt a multi-actor perspective and analyze the strategies that different actors pursue to manage the structural tensions that are induced by the transition towards lithium-ion batteries with the goal of creating and sus- taining a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) model. Through a case study of the key actors (mining firms, material manufacturers, vehicle manufacturers, and recyclers), we reveal the particularities of managing structural tensions which are influenced by temporal, spatial, and contextual factors. We demonstrate our claim by first expanding the application bound- ary of the concept of structural tensions to show the interconnection between strategic choices made by actors at operational and technological levels; and second, unfolding the dynamics of managing structural tensions in the CE transitions from a multi-actor perspec- tive. The results of this study may support industrial actors to achieve a better understand- ing of the consequences of their short- and long-term CE transition strategies, and resolve conflicts in visions and priorities during the transition process., QC 20220228

Sweden has a long tradition of process improvements, productivity increments, waste reduction in manufacturing, continuing a mode of industrialization that helped achieve prosperity. With growing urban centers, mechanization of agriculture, outsourcings by manufacturing and the public sector with subsequent acquisitions, large service firms have appeared in an ever-growing service sector. Some firms with a previously simple operation have become employers of hundreds of thousands of people in what can be described as a Nordic phenomenon in its origin when looking at the roots of the largest firms. With this development in mind, the aim of the thesis is to explore the factors that can be found in the case study of industrialization of services in Nordic based firms. Using an abductive approach and mixed methods, the theoretical focus has been on the organization, routines, and knowledge. The data used in this thesis originates from three embedded contexts ranging from power and telecom infrastructural services, facility management, and a payment service provider. Summarily, the research questions touch upon (1) tacit knowledge and its transfer; (2) technology adoption; and (3) the grander implications of technology and industrialization in services. The thesis has four main contributions. First, the first paper provides a unique empirical insight into firms that rarely see any academic attention, a domain dominated by craftmanship to some degree, and with that an environment saturated with tacit knowledge. Secondly, the results indicate that while tacit knowledge is a significant part of service firms, recent technological advancement can overcome difficulties of transferring certain somatic aspects it. Capturing tacit knowledge digitally and transforming it into rich data, turns it into a crystallized artifact that is separated from time and space. High bandwidth enables the transfer of these crystallized artifacts of rich data, to any place, at any time. Thirdly, l, I Sverige finns en lång tradition inom tillverkningsindustrin i att utveckla processer, öka produktivitet, minska spill och på sätt vidare industrialisera verksamheten, vilket delvis legat till grund för svenskt välstånd. Med växande städer, mekaniserat jordbruk, outsourcing från tillverkningsindustri och offentlig sektor och med följande företagsförvärv har stora tjänsteföretag uppstått i en ständigt växande tjänstesektor. Några företag har vuxit till att bli arbetsgivare åt hundratusentals människor världen över, i vad som kan beskrivas nordiskt fenomen sett till de allra största företagens rötter. Med detta i åtanke är avhandlingens syfte är att utforska faktorerna som ligger att finnas i en fallstudie i industrialiseringen av tjänster i nordiska företag. Med en abduktiv approach och blandade metoder, ligger det teoretiska fokuset på organisation, rutiner och kunskap. De data som används i denna avhandling har sitt ursprung från tre inbäddade kontexter bestående av ett el- och telekom-underhållsföretag, ett facility managementföretag och ett kort- och betallösningsföretag. Kortfattat berör forskningsfrågorna (1) tyst kunskap och dess överföring; (2) införskaffande av teknologi; och (3) den större innebörden av teknik och industrialisering inom tjänster. Denna avhandling har fyra huvudsakliga bidrag. För det första ger det första pappret en empirisk inblick i företag som sällan får akademisk uppmärksamhet, en domän där hantverksmässig yrkesfärdighet är en stor faktor och med det en miljö som är mättad med tyst kunskap. För det andra indikerar resultaten att även om tyst kunskap är en betydande del av tjänsteföretag, kan teknologi övervinna svårigheter i att överföra vissa somatiska aspekter av kunskapen. Att spela in tyst kunskap digitalt och omvandla det till rika data, gör det till en kristalliserad artefakt som är separerad från både rum och tid. En hög bandbredd möjliggör sedan överförandet av dessa kristalliserade artefakter till vilken plats som helst, när s

The configuration of closed-loop supply chains (CLSCs) for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to recover and remarket products has been discussed as a crucial pathway in the transition towards the circular economy (CE). However, in the context of the CE, circular supply chains (CSCs) have an extended role to recover materials and minimize waste that goes beyond the particular firm’s product recovery and remarketing. Thus, the open-loop supply chains (OLSCs) have an equally important role to play as supply chain configurations where actors other than the OEM engage in product and material recovery. While the literature on CLSC is a mature field, studies that analyze the complementary nature of CLSC and OLSC in addressing the transition to the CE are scant. Based on a systematic literature review (2007–2021), this paper contributes to literature by identifying some of the characteristics of OLSC, providing empirical illustrations, and developing a conceptual framework of the open- and closed-loop supply chain continuum., QC 20220504

The circular economy (CE) has recently gained attention as a key transformative strategy. However, as with previous transformation processes, the transition towards the CE is not a smooth process since there are underlying structural tensions in incumbent systems that need to be overcome. One industry that is currently undergoing transformative pressure is the automobile industry where the transition to electric vehicles that use lithium-ion bat- teries is creating structural tensions. In this paper, we adopt a multi-actor perspective and analyze the strategies that different actors pursue to manage the structural tensions that are induced by the transition towards lithium-ion batteries with the goal of creating and sus- taining a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) model. Through a case study of the key actors (mining firms, material manufacturers, vehicle manufacturers, and recyclers), we reveal the particularities of managing structural tensions which are influenced by temporal, spatial, and contextual factors. We demonstrate our claim by first expanding the application bound- ary of the concept of structural tensions to show the interconnection between strategic choices made by actors at operational and technological levels; and second, unfolding the dynamics of managing structural tensions in the CE transitions from a multi-actor perspec- tive. The results of this study may support industrial actors to achieve a better understand- ing of the consequences of their short- and long-term CE transition strategies, and resolve conflicts in visions and priorities during the transition process., QC 20220228

The oil refinery industry is one of the major energy users and responsible for a large proportion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This sector is facing multiple sustainability-related transformation pressures, forcing the industry to adapt to changing market conditions. The transition to a low-carbon economy will require oil refineries to adopt decarbonisation technologies like advanced biofuels, green hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS). However, the development and implementation of these technologies is not a straightforward process and may be inhibited by lock-in and path dependency. This paper draws on expert interviews and combines the Technological Innovation Systems (TIS) and Multi-level Perspective (MLP) frameworks to examining the niche level development of three emerging technologies in the context of deep decarbonisation of refineries. This research finds that the development of the three decarbonisation technologies shares some of the challenges and opportunities and exhibits technology interdependency to some extent. Among the three TISs, advanced biofuel is the most mature in terms of knowledge base, actor-network, legislation framework and market function. Green hydrogen and CCS encounter stronger momentum than before and can benefit from possible synergies across various sectors. However, the analysis also reveals the lack of market formation, mainly due to the lack of policy instruments for niche markets. Here, policy recommendations for accelerating deep decarbonisation of the oil refinery industry are discussed. Finally, we contribute to the sustainability transitions literature by exploring the dynamics of emerging TISs for industrial decarbonisation., QC 20220121

Aviation accounts for approximately five percent of global greenhouse gas emissions through the combustion of fossil fuels. This paper analyses the opportunities and challenges of mitigation measures in limiting travel volume, energy and emission intensity to reduce the climate impact of aviation in Sweden. Several measures are in place that aim to reduce the climate impact of the aviation industry, ranging from regulations to technology alternatives to fossil-based jet fuel. These measures face several crosscutting challenges, many of which are of a socio-economic and political nature, and these aspects are often neglected in favour of focusing on technological solutions. The market creation for alternatives to fossil-based jet fuel is a major challenge, as most consumers today have a limited awareness of and willingness to pay for these innovations. Policy measures in place are proven ineffective in incentivising change. An understanding of the industry as a socio-technical system is required. The value of this review is its broader consideration of the pathways to reduce aviation's climate impact, offering new perspectives and pointing to areas for further research considering all components, their interactions and interdependence., QC 20220524

Sweden has a long tradition of process improvements, productivity increments, waste reduction in manufacturing, continuing a mode of industrialization that helped achieve prosperity. With growing urban centers, mechanization of agriculture, outsourcings by manufacturing and the public sector with subsequent acquisitions, large service firms have appeared in an ever-growing service sector. Some firms with a previously simple operation have become employers of hundreds of thousands of people in what can be described as a Nordic phenomenon in its origin when looking at the roots of the largest firms. With this development in mind, the aim of the thesis is to explore the factors that can be found in the case study of industrialization of services in Nordic based firms. Using an abductive approach and mixed methods, the theoretical focus has been on the organization, routines, and knowledge. The data used in this thesis originates from three embedded contexts ranging from power and telecom infrastructural services, facility management, and a payment service provider. Summarily, the research questions touch upon (1) tacit knowledge and its transfer; (2) technology adoption; and (3) the grander implications of technology and industrialization in services. The thesis has four main contributions. First, the first paper provides a unique empirical insight into firms that rarely see any academic attention, a domain dominated by craftmanship to some degree, and with that an environment saturated with tacit knowledge. Secondly, the results indicate that while tacit knowledge is a significant part of service firms, recent technological advancement can overcome difficulties of transferring certain somatic aspects it. Capturing tacit knowledge digitally and transforming it into rich data, turns it into a crystallized artifact that is separated from time and space. High bandwidth enables the transfer of these crystallized artifacts of rich data, to any place, at any time. Thirdly, l, I Sverige finns en lång tradition inom tillverkningsindustrin i att utveckla processer, öka produktivitet, minska spill och på sätt vidare industrialisera verksamheten, vilket delvis legat till grund för svenskt välstånd. Med växande städer, mekaniserat jordbruk, outsourcing från tillverkningsindustri och offentlig sektor och med följande företagsförvärv har stora tjänsteföretag uppstått i en ständigt växande tjänstesektor. Några företag har vuxit till att bli arbetsgivare åt hundratusentals människor världen över, i vad som kan beskrivas nordiskt fenomen sett till de allra största företagens rötter. Med detta i åtanke är avhandlingens syfte är att utforska faktorerna som ligger att finnas i en fallstudie i industrialiseringen av tjänster i nordiska företag. Med en abduktiv approach och blandade metoder, ligger det teoretiska fokuset på organisation, rutiner och kunskap. De data som används i denna avhandling har sitt ursprung från tre inbäddade kontexter bestående av ett el- och telekom-underhållsföretag, ett facility managementföretag och ett kort- och betallösningsföretag. Kortfattat berör forskningsfrågorna (1) tyst kunskap och dess överföring; (2) införskaffande av teknologi; och (3) den större innebörden av teknik och industrialisering inom tjänster. Denna avhandling har fyra huvudsakliga bidrag. För det första ger det första pappret en empirisk inblick i företag som sällan får akademisk uppmärksamhet, en domän där hantverksmässig yrkesfärdighet är en stor faktor och med det en miljö som är mättad med tyst kunskap. För det andra indikerar resultaten att även om tyst kunskap är en betydande del av tjänsteföretag, kan teknologi övervinna svårigheter i att överföra vissa somatiska aspekter av kunskapen. Att spela in tyst kunskap digitalt och omvandla det till rika data, gör det till en kristalliserad artefakt som är separerad från både rum och tid. En hög bandbredd möjliggör sedan överförandet av dessa kristalliserade artefakter till vilken plats som helst, när s

Sweden has a long tradition of process improvements, productivity increments, waste reduction in manufacturing, continuing a mode of industrialization that helped achieve prosperity. With growing urban centers, mechanization of agriculture, outsourcings by manufacturing and the public sector with subsequent acquisitions, large service firms have appeared in an ever-growing service sector. Some firms with a previously simple operation have become employers of hundreds of thousands of people in what can be described as a Nordic phenomenon in its origin when looking at the roots of the largest firms. With this development in mind, the aim of the thesis is to explore the factors that can be found in the case study of industrialization of services in Nordic based firms. Using an abductive approach and mixed methods, the theoretical focus has been on the organization, routines, and knowledge. The data used in this thesis originates from three embedded contexts ranging from power and telecom infrastructural services, facility management, and a payment service provider. Summarily, the research questions touch upon (1) tacit knowledge and its transfer; (2) technology adoption; and (3) the grander implications of technology and industrialization in services. The thesis has four main contributions. First, the first paper provides a unique empirical insight into firms that rarely see any academic attention, a domain dominated by craftmanship to some degree, and with that an environment saturated with tacit knowledge. Secondly, the results indicate that while tacit knowledge is a significant part of service firms, recent technological advancement can overcome difficulties of transferring certain somatic aspects it. Capturing tacit knowledge digitally and transforming it into rich data, turns it into a crystallized artifact that is separated from time and space. High bandwidth enables the transfer of these crystallized artifacts of rich data, to any place, at any time. Thirdly, l, I Sverige finns en lång tradition inom tillverkningsindustrin i att utveckla processer, öka produktivitet, minska spill och på sätt vidare industrialisera verksamheten, vilket delvis legat till grund för svenskt välstånd. Med växande städer, mekaniserat jordbruk, outsourcing från tillverkningsindustri och offentlig sektor och med följande företagsförvärv har stora tjänsteföretag uppstått i en ständigt växande tjänstesektor. Några företag har vuxit till att bli arbetsgivare åt hundratusentals människor världen över, i vad som kan beskrivas nordiskt fenomen sett till de allra största företagens rötter. Med detta i åtanke är avhandlingens syfte är att utforska faktorerna som ligger att finnas i en fallstudie i industrialiseringen av tjänster i nordiska företag. Med en abduktiv approach och blandade metoder, ligger det teoretiska fokuset på organisation, rutiner och kunskap. De data som används i denna avhandling har sitt ursprung från tre inbäddade kontexter bestående av ett el- och telekom-underhållsföretag, ett facility managementföretag och ett kort- och betallösningsföretag. Kortfattat berör forskningsfrågorna (1) tyst kunskap och dess överföring; (2) införskaffande av teknologi; och (3) den större innebörden av teknik och industrialisering inom tjänster. Denna avhandling har fyra huvudsakliga bidrag. För det första ger det första pappret en empirisk inblick i företag som sällan får akademisk uppmärksamhet, en domän där hantverksmässig yrkesfärdighet är en stor faktor och med det en miljö som är mättad med tyst kunskap. För det andra indikerar resultaten att även om tyst kunskap är en betydande del av tjänsteföretag, kan teknologi övervinna svårigheter i att överföra vissa somatiska aspekter av kunskapen. Att spela in tyst kunskap digitalt och omvandla det till rika data, gör det till en kristalliserad artefakt som är separerad från både rum och tid. En hög bandbredd möjliggör sedan överförandet av dessa kristalliserade artefakter till vilken plats som helst, när s

The circular economy (CE) has recently gained attention as a key transformative strategy. However, as with previous transformation processes, the transition towards the CE is not a smooth process since there are underlying structural tensions in incumbent systems that need to be overcome. One industry that is currently undergoing transformative pressure is the automobile industry where the transition to electric vehicles that use lithium-ion bat- teries is creating structural tensions. In this paper, we adopt a multi-actor perspective and analyze the strategies that different actors pursue to manage the structural tensions that are induced by the transition towards lithium-ion batteries with the goal of creating and sus- taining a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) model. Through a case study of the key actors (mining firms, material manufacturers, vehicle manufacturers, and recyclers), we reveal the particularities of managing structural tensions which are influenced by temporal, spatial, and contextual factors. We demonstrate our claim by first expanding the application bound- ary of the concept of structural tensions to show the interconnection between strategic choices made by actors at operational and technological levels; and second, unfolding the dynamics of managing structural tensions in the CE transitions from a multi-actor perspec- tive. The results of this study may support industrial actors to achieve a better understand- ing of the consequences of their short- and long-term CE transition strategies, and resolve conflicts in visions and priorities during the transition process., QC 20220228

The circular economy (CE) has recently gained attention as a key transformative strategy. However, as with previous transformation processes, the transition towards the CE is not a smooth process since there are underlying structural tensions in incumbent systems that need to be overcome. One industry that is currently undergoing transformative pressure is the automobile industry where the transition to electric vehicles that use lithium-ion bat- teries is creating structural tensions. In this paper, we adopt a multi-actor perspective and analyze the strategies that different actors pursue to manage the structural tensions that are induced by the transition towards lithium-ion batteries with the goal of creating and sus- taining a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) model. Through a case study of the key actors (mining firms, material manufacturers, vehicle manufacturers, and recyclers), we reveal the particularities of managing structural tensions which are influenced by temporal, spatial, and contextual factors. We demonstrate our claim by first expanding the application bound- ary of the concept of structural tensions to show the interconnection between strategic choices made by actors at operational and technological levels; and second, unfolding the dynamics of managing structural tensions in the CE transitions from a multi-actor perspec- tive. The results of this study may support industrial actors to achieve a better understand- ing of the consequences of their short- and long-term CE transition strategies, and resolve conflicts in visions and priorities during the transition process., QC 20220228

Sweden has a long tradition of process improvements, productivity increments, waste reduction in manufacturing, continuing a mode of industrialization that helped achieve prosperity. With growing urban centers, mechanization of agriculture, outsourcings by manufacturing and the public sector with subsequent acquisitions, large service firms have appeared in an ever-growing service sector. Some firms with a previously simple operation have become employers of hundreds of thousands of people in what can be described as a Nordic phenomenon in its origin when looking at the roots of the largest firms. With this development in mind, the aim of the thesis is to explore the factors that can be found in the case study of industrialization of services in Nordic based firms. Using an abductive approach and mixed methods, the theoretical focus has been on the organization, routines, and knowledge. The data used in this thesis originates from three embedded contexts ranging from power and telecom infrastructural services, facility management, and a payment service provider. Summarily, the research questions touch upon (1) tacit knowledge and its transfer; (2) technology adoption; and (3) the grander implications of technology and industrialization in services. The thesis has four main contributions. First, the first paper provides a unique empirical insight into firms that rarely see any academic attention, a domain dominated by craftmanship to some degree, and with that an environment saturated with tacit knowledge. Secondly, the results indicate that while tacit knowledge is a significant part of service firms, recent technological advancement can overcome difficulties of transferring certain somatic aspects it. Capturing tacit knowledge digitally and transforming it into rich data, turns it into a crystallized artifact that is separated from time and space. High bandwidth enables the transfer of these crystallized artifacts of rich data, to any place, at any time. Thirdly, l, I Sverige finns en lång tradition inom tillverkningsindustrin i att utveckla processer, öka produktivitet, minska spill och på sätt vidare industrialisera verksamheten, vilket delvis legat till grund för svenskt välstånd. Med växande städer, mekaniserat jordbruk, outsourcing från tillverkningsindustri och offentlig sektor och med följande företagsförvärv har stora tjänsteföretag uppstått i en ständigt växande tjänstesektor. Några företag har vuxit till att bli arbetsgivare åt hundratusentals människor världen över, i vad som kan beskrivas nordiskt fenomen sett till de allra största företagens rötter. Med detta i åtanke är avhandlingens syfte är att utforska faktorerna som ligger att finnas i en fallstudie i industrialiseringen av tjänster i nordiska företag. Med en abduktiv approach och blandade metoder, ligger det teoretiska fokuset på organisation, rutiner och kunskap. De data som används i denna avhandling har sitt ursprung från tre inbäddade kontexter bestående av ett el- och telekom-underhållsföretag, ett facility managementföretag och ett kort- och betallösningsföretag. Kortfattat berör forskningsfrågorna (1) tyst kunskap och dess överföring; (2) införskaffande av teknologi; och (3) den större innebörden av teknik och industrialisering inom tjänster. Denna avhandling har fyra huvudsakliga bidrag. För det första ger det första pappret en empirisk inblick i företag som sällan får akademisk uppmärksamhet, en domän där hantverksmässig yrkesfärdighet är en stor faktor och med det en miljö som är mättad med tyst kunskap. För det andra indikerar resultaten att även om tyst kunskap är en betydande del av tjänsteföretag, kan teknologi övervinna svårigheter i att överföra vissa somatiska aspekter av kunskapen. Att spela in tyst kunskap digitalt och omvandla det till rika data, gör det till en kristalliserad artefakt som är separerad från både rum och tid. En hög bandbredd möjliggör sedan överförandet av dessa kristalliserade artefakter till vilken plats som helst, när s

Sweden has a long tradition of process improvements, productivity increments, waste reduction in manufacturing, continuing a mode of industrialization that helped achieve prosperity. With growing urban centers, mechanization of agriculture, outsourcings by manufacturing and the public sector with subsequent acquisitions, large service firms have appeared in an ever-growing service sector. Some firms with a previously simple operation have become employers of hundreds of thousands of people in what can be described as a Nordic phenomenon in its origin when looking at the roots of the largest firms. With this development in mind, the aim of the thesis is to explore the factors that can be found in the case study of industrialization of services in Nordic based firms. Using an abductive approach and mixed methods, the theoretical focus has been on the organization, routines, and knowledge. The data used in this thesis originates from three embedded contexts ranging from power and telecom infrastructural services, facility management, and a payment service provider. Summarily, the research questions touch upon (1) tacit knowledge and its transfer; (2) technology adoption; and (3) the grander implications of technology and industrialization in services. The thesis has four main contributions. First, the first paper provides a unique empirical insight into firms that rarely see any academic attention, a domain dominated by craftmanship to some degree, and with that an environment saturated with tacit knowledge. Secondly, the results indicate that while tacit knowledge is a significant part of service firms, recent technological advancement can overcome difficulties of transferring certain somatic aspects it. Capturing tacit knowledge digitally and transforming it into rich data, turns it into a crystallized artifact that is separated from time and space. High bandwidth enables the transfer of these crystallized artifacts of rich data, to any place, at any time. Thirdly, l, I Sverige finns en lång tradition inom tillverkningsindustrin i att utveckla processer, öka produktivitet, minska spill och på sätt vidare industrialisera verksamheten, vilket delvis legat till grund för svenskt välstånd. Med växande städer, mekaniserat jordbruk, outsourcing från tillverkningsindustri och offentlig sektor och med följande företagsförvärv har stora tjänsteföretag uppstått i en ständigt växande tjänstesektor. Några företag har vuxit till att bli arbetsgivare åt hundratusentals människor världen över, i vad som kan beskrivas nordiskt fenomen sett till de allra största företagens rötter. Med detta i åtanke är avhandlingens syfte är att utforska faktorerna som ligger att finnas i en fallstudie i industrialiseringen av tjänster i nordiska företag. Med en abduktiv approach och blandade metoder, ligger det teoretiska fokuset på organisation, rutiner och kunskap. De data som används i denna avhandling har sitt ursprung från tre inbäddade kontexter bestående av ett el- och telekom-underhållsföretag, ett facility managementföretag och ett kort- och betallösningsföretag. Kortfattat berör forskningsfrågorna (1) tyst kunskap och dess överföring; (2) införskaffande av teknologi; och (3) den större innebörden av teknik och industrialisering inom tjänster. Denna avhandling har fyra huvudsakliga bidrag. För det första ger det första pappret en empirisk inblick i företag som sällan får akademisk uppmärksamhet, en domän där hantverksmässig yrkesfärdighet är en stor faktor och med det en miljö som är mättad med tyst kunskap. För det andra indikerar resultaten att även om tyst kunskap är en betydande del av tjänsteföretag, kan teknologi övervinna svårigheter i att överföra vissa somatiska aspekter av kunskapen. Att spela in tyst kunskap digitalt och omvandla det till rika data, gör det till en kristalliserad artefakt som är separerad från både rum och tid. En hög bandbredd möjliggör sedan överförandet av dessa kristalliserade artefakter till vilken plats som helst, när s

The circular economy (CE) has recently gained attention as a key transformative strategy. However, as with previous transformation processes, the transition towards the CE is not a smooth process since there are underlying structural tensions in incumbent systems that need to be overcome. One industry that is currently undergoing transformative pressure is the automobile industry where the transition to electric vehicles that use lithium-ion bat- teries is creating structural tensions. In this paper, we adopt a multi-actor perspective and analyze the strategies that different actors pursue to manage the structural tensions that are induced by the transition towards lithium-ion batteries with the goal of creating and sus- taining a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) model. Through a case study of the key actors (mining firms, material manufacturers, vehicle manufacturers, and recyclers), we reveal the particularities of managing structural tensions which are influenced by temporal, spatial, and contextual factors. We demonstrate our claim by first expanding the application bound- ary of the concept of structural tensions to show the interconnection between strategic choices made by actors at operational and technological levels; and second, unfolding the dynamics of managing structural tensions in the CE transitions from a multi-actor perspec- tive. The results of this study may support industrial actors to achieve a better understand- ing of the consequences of their short- and long-term CE transition strategies, and resolve conflicts in visions and priorities during the transition process., QC 20220228

Smog pollution is a severe social and environmental concern for the space-heating regions in China due to fossil-intensive space heating. To reduce polluting emissions and improve social and environmental performance, local government agencies should choose adequate cleaner space-heating technologies based on diverse local conditions. This implies that all cleaner heating solutions should be considered, including low-emissions fossil fuel district heating and low-emissions fossil fuel decentralized heating as transitional technologies, as well as biomass and electricity-driven heat pumps as long-term solutions. However, stakeholders such as policy makers, equipment manufacturers, and house owners, often lack necessary information to assess the feasibility for installing adequate heating solutions at the local level. It is therefore necessary to establish a systematic method to evaluate each heating solution in various geolocations of China. This paper reviews the current heating situation in China and proposes a spatial system analysis method as a tool for heating-solution feasibility evaluation. By applying the spatial system analysis method, a qualitative investigation on the choice of heating solution in different regions of China is provided., QC 20211215

The notion of the circular economy (CE) has recently been put forth as a strategy to mitigate climate change. It has gained attention in policy circles and in the engineering and natural science literature. In contrast to the linear model of production, use and disposal, the point of departure for the CE is the creation and sustention of a regenerative system with the goal of minimising resource inputs and emissions. However, although the emerging literature has discussed the ongoing transition process towards the CE, mainly from an ecological perspective, the underlying mechanisms of industrial change including structural tensions have not been discussed. Responding to this gap in the literature, the aim of this paper is to discuss CE as an evolutionary process and to propose a conceptual framework that builds on a development block approach., QC 20210609

This paper studies the perceived difficulty of recruiting scarce competencies to rural regions. Furthermore, the role of policy in facilitating and enhancing recruitment to and better skills matching in rural regions is discussed. Based on a survey targeted to the business sections of Swedish municipalities, the results show that recruitment is perceived to be difficult in both rural and nonrural regions and that the difficulty of recruiting for the right skills results in a lack of skills matching and constitutes an obstacle to growth. Rural regions located close to urban areas can to some extent mitigate these recruitment problems, and their locations pose less of a barrier in recruitment processes compared to those of remotely located rural regions. Which policies can help remedy recruitment problems faced in rural regions? In both rural and nonrural regions, incentives for writing off student debt and relocation support for accompanying persons and tandem recruitment are perceived to be the most promising policies. Rural regions are more receptive to the implementation of such policies. Finally, the need for flexibility and policies that can be adapted to the regional demand for labour are stressed, QC 20211210

From the sectoral systems of innovation perspective, the windows of opportunity (hereafter referred to as WoOs) for industrial latecomers to catch-up could be opened up through abrupt changes in the technological, market, and institutional dimensions. Existing literature discusses different dimensional changes in isolation. Nevertheless, for green industries, the systemic interplay of these dimensions is of key importance; yet few studies have probed into this. These limitations in the literature are largely rooted in the lack of novel methods to detect and specify these abrupt changes, especially in a quantitative way. This paper, therefore, proposes a framework combining natural language processing methods with experts’ knowledge to detect these abrupt changes—named turbulences—by using multi-source heterogeneous data, in order to better identify the co-occurrences and interactions of turbulences across the technological, market, and institutional dimensions that have a high probability to open up WoOs. We apply this framework to analyze China’s hydropower sector as a case study. The hydropower sector is considered a “green” energy sector, in which China, as this study finds, has recently gained technological leadership. By analyzing the interactions between these multiple dimensions of WoOs, we discover that institutional turbulences proactively intertwine with other turbulences, and collectively form Green WoOs for the successful catch-up of China’s hydropower sector., QC 20210423

This study provides a comprehensive, updated, and refined analysis of the challenges and opportunities for Russian natural gas exports based on recent statistical data, academic publications, and media sources. The paper addresses the lack of continuity in studies within the topic since the recent changes are not reflected well enough in the current peer-reviewed literature. In order to understand the perspectives regarding Russian natural gas export in global natural gas markets, we consequently examine the current layout of the global natural gas markets, and challenges and opportunities for Russian natural gas exports. The analysis shows that the U.S. natural gas market is closed for Russian exports. In the European market, Russia is experiencing difficulties in increasing its export shares, or even maintaining current levels, owing to various macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges. Asian markets such as China, India, Japan, and South Korea, are the most promising destinations for future Russian natural gas exports. Despite strong geopolitical challenges and high competition globally, Russia should seek maintaining current export levels in the European market, while implementing a win-win export strategy, and secure its future export shares on the Asian markets. The results of the study can be used for scenario and planning purposes, and be useful for policy makers and industry practitioners., QC 20201023

This paper explores knowledge sharing using ICT in firms offering highly industrialized manual services based on standardized routines to B2B customers. Theoretically, socialization is the generally recognized way of sharing tacit knowledge, but technological advancements are changing the outlook on this. Our study builds on qualitative data from two Scandinavian service firms: the first one involved in facility management and the other one in power and telecom maintenance. These services are characterized by a high degree of somatic tacit knowledge, relating to motor skills, which puts specific demands on knowledge sharing where ICT plays an important role. Our paper underlines that: (1) in addition to apprenticeship, ICT can act as a way of knowledge sharing similar to socialization; (2) relatedly, it becomes necessary to differentiate between different types of tacit knowledge; and (3) that knowledge as a digital artefact overcomes the difficulty of sharing tacit knowledge in large, geographically dispersed firms. The paper’s contribution provides a new perspective on ICT and tacit knowledge by empirically exploring how ICT can help transfer tacit, and strategically important, knowledge, and thereby provide opportunities and a systematic complement to socialization in firms., QC 20220420

Transformers have shown remarkable results in the domains of Natural Language Processing and Computer Vision. This naturally raises the question of whether the success could be replicated in other domains. However, due to Transformers being inherently data-hungry and sensitive to weight initialization, applying the Transformer to new domains is quite a challenging task. Previously, the data demands have been met using large-scale supervised or self-supervised pre-training on a similar task before supervised fine-tuning on a target downstream task. We show that Transformers are applicable for the task of multi-label error classification of trace data and that masked data modelling based on self-supervised learning methods can be used to leverage unlabelled data to increase performance compared to a baseline supervised learning approach., QC 20230411

The amount of user-generated content (UGC) in the hospitality industry has exploded. Much of it exists in crowdsourced social media, forums, blogs and review sites. Schuckert et al. (2015) did a study on the role of online customer reviews in the hospitality industry and found that reviews can be a strategic tool and have a crucial role in hospitality and tourism management. By investigating user-generated material more thoroughly, the firms can better align their social media messages to the different and unique needs of their social media users (Zhu and Chen 2015). In doing this, they can better leverage the increasingly important social media. Although the predominant strategic perspectives, including the resource-based view, transaction cost economics and positioning tend to ignore the ultimate objects of strategy, the customer, the advent of social media may lead to a change. With the growth of social media and other UGC, there is a significant opportunity to use the views, thoughts, ideas, attitudes and so on from the actual consumer to help build a strategy from the bottom-up, rather than just top-down. Unsurprisingly, a focus on bottom-up or demand-side strategy is appropriate, especially in marketing strategy, where the customer plays such a crucial role. As this UGC is a source of customer intelligence, firms should be able to improve their market research resulting in better strategic decision making. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study is to understand whether a firm strategy can be enriched by using demand-side insights generated by customers. Resulting in the primary question—How can user-generated content help firms make strategic decisions? In sum, in this research, we argue that the crowd through its production of online content can aid firms in their demand-side marketing research, particularly concerning strategic decision making. Furthermore, as the amount of user-generated content continues to grow, new tools and techniques allow firms, QC 20220613

Digital advocacy by employees can provide the firm with reach and desirable outcomes. Increased reach and visibility can impact an organization’s brand awareness and employer branding (Sivertzen et al. 2013; Tsimonis and Dimitriadis 2014). In addition, increased brand awareness among stakeholders can help strengthen positive associations with the corporate brand that will make it easier to attract and retain employees (Backhaus and Tikoo 2004; Kohli et al. 2015; Sivertzen et al. 2013). Digital advocacy on social media is very much a double-edged sword, and it is therefore increasingly important for organizations to develop strategies for how best to manage it (Kietzmann et al. 2011; Kohli et al. 2015). The purpose of this research is to investigate and analyse the impact of internal branding and organizational commitment on the willingness of industrial employees to undertake advocacy. Five dimensions of employer branding have been labelled: Work Life Balance, Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR), Training and Development, Healthy Work Atmosphere, Compensation and Benefits (Tanwar and Prasad 2017; Ambler and Barrow 1996; Berthon et al. 2006). This research proposes a second-order hierarchical latent variable model whereby employer branding acts both directly and indirectly through organizational commitment to impact employee advocacy. Data was collected via a self-completing online questionnaire from among employees of a Swedish industrial organization that has a global presence. A total of 306 complete responses were collected with 51.7% response rate. Respondents come from a diverse group of individuals, 66% male; 61%, were aged between 35 and 54 years; 28% were between 18 and 34 years; and 11% were older than 5 years. The structural model was assessed in order to determine how well the empirical data fit with theory (Hair et al. 2014; Sarstedt et al. 2014). Findings indicate that training and development and healthy work atmosphere are the most infl, QC 20220613

The Arctic is a specific geographical region with extreme climate conditions, vulnerable environment, but rather intensive ongoing industrialization. The Arctic requires alternative solutions to provide energy supply to the energy consumers due to the growing energy demand and small-scale decentralized character of energy supply. At the moment, the largest part of energy consumption in the region is covered by hydrocarbon energy resources delivered from the mainland. Renewable energy technologies may be efficiently implemented to cover the needs of small scale decentralized energy consumers in the Russian Arctic, but at the moment they are applied on a very modest scale. The current study analyses and discusses the main challenges and risks related to renewable energy resources use in the Russian Arctic. Further, the study elaborates on the issues related to the environmental challenges and climate change-related threats, their relationship and influence on the technological choices of the future energy supply in the region, addressing the perspectives of sustainable development of the Russian Arctic., QC 20210915

Electrification of transportation is widely recognized as an enabler of sustainable development thanks to its potential to mitigate current global warming crisis. So far, industry has been focusing on technology deployment and scaling up, paying limited attention to the end-of-life of new vehicles and their components. However, if this emerging technology is to be truly sustainable in the long range, proactive planning and development of product and material recovery solutions is crucial from many perspectives. Reverse supply chain design is subject to deep uncertainties and simulation has been already used in literature as a suitable tool for examining alternative configurations and the key drivers of optimal design. This study aims to investigate the implications of different structural (centralized vs decentralized) and operational (in-house and outsourcing) configurations of the reverse supply chain configuration of high voltage li-ion batteries for heavy e-vehicles. All the stages in the reverse supply chain, i.e. acquisition of returned batteries, inspection, reconditioning (remanufacturing or recycling), warehousing and transportation, repurposing for second-life applications are considered. A Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model is finally proposed to support strategic and tactical decisions of an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) according to efficiency and circularity objectives. Results provide valuable ground for decision-making regarding the development of reverse supply chain systems of high voltage batteries and demonstrate that such systems can offer economic benefits for vehicle manufacturers., QC 20210903